Opinion: Bring back Speo

With the transfer window now open and contract negotiations well underway, it’s time to start considering what we can do without, what we need and what we’re missing and in my opinion, this can be solved with one simple signing.

I loved having Jay Spearing, he was just brilliant. His experience, passion, enthusiasm, leadership, work-rate, ability on the ball, shit-housery, just everything about him was everything you could ever ask of a holding midfielder.

Other than presuming that there was some form of disagreement during re-negotiations last summer, it still bemuses me as to why we’d let him go, especially as we were without Karl Henry until September.

As Pratley’s long-overdue exit draws near, despite what we have in Karl Henry now that’s so similar to that of Spearing’s attributes, as we face losing both of them along with the potential departure of Derik looming and the expiry of Reece Burke’s loan, recruiting a defensive midfielder is exactly what we need and I still don’t know of anyone else who owns and occupies the role with such confidence, strength and passion as Speo.

Having inevitably taken a paycut to join Blackpool last summer and his contract running out too, it seems like the perfectly logical decision to re-sign him. Given that Karl Henry effectively saved our season this time round, surely it would only help to have two of them?

As much as many of you think we can do better or that Spearing may have snubbed us, I still believe we don't have anything to lose by re-signing him if he’s simply looking for game time and has the determination to win us games and fire us up before big games and in other scenarios where we need a figure such as that.

Even if he plays second fiddle to another potential signing or even if we re-signed Henry, I’d happily still have him sat in the squad just for his experience, character off the field and recognised leadership on it amongst all else as I still struggle to to see any real leadership qualities in Pratley and unless we re-sign Karl Henry, only Wheater is worthy of the armband.

Surely therefore, all signs point towards bringing in a replacement of Spearing’s calibre so it may as well be the man himself right? I just can't help but think we miss him.

Of course the squad needs to be strengthened generally, but even if there is no natural improvement in the quality of such a player, the attributes that Spearing has counts for just as much as technical ability in my eyes.

In my personal opinion therefore, this would be a win win situation, let me know if you agree or disagree and why in the comments below.